We are excited to meet you and your child. We want to be your child’s dental home—a place he or she can count on for a fun and effective dental visit, and a place where you can receive helpful information about your child’s oral health. Knowing what to expect at your first visit significantly adds to you and your child’s comfort and satisfaction. Our goal is to create a fun, supportive, non-fearful, and caring environment that allows your child to develop a positive and healthy outlook on dentistry and oral health.
What to Expect:
Upon arriving you will be greeted by our staff who will go over our new patient forms with you. Your child will get a chance to explore the toys and games in the waiting room. In the clinic we will get acquainted and gather information. While doing a thorough examination we will assess the need for any specific dental care and share tips on good oral health. Depending on your child’s age and caries risk assessment we may discuss taking digital x-rays to help make a complete diagnosis. Print and sign the Parent Guidelines Form in advance to save time on your first visit.
Preparing Your Child
You can play a large part in preparing your child for his/her first visit to the dentist. We highly recommend reading a book describing a visit to the dentist to your child to help prepare them in advance. We would like to make a few suggestions to prepare your child for their first visit. First, present the visit as an exciting experience for yourself and for your child. Second, tell your child that we will “count”, “brush” and “take pictures” of their teeth. By explaining the exam and the cleaning in these terms, your child will better understand the situation.
Try to act relaxed and at ease. Your child will probably sense any anxiety on your part. Avoid negative phrases such as “hurt”, “drill”, “pull” and “shot”. This initial examination involves nothing uncomfortable and should be perceived by the child as non-threatening. It is our goal to make this the most positive experience possible.